Second Time Around
by AdventureFreak5
Summary: What if there was a zing, but it didn't happen between Mavis and Jonathan? What if Dracula got a second chance at love with the human boy? Can he actually pull it off and keep it secret from the other monsters, especially his daughter Mavis, or will he screw everything up and lose his second chance?
1. Zing

I know it seems really similar to the movie at first, but it changes at the end. :) Rating might go up for later chapters or I might just channel it into a sequel.

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Dracula was horrified and stared in despair at the monstrosity even as visions of the cruel creatures from the past filled his head. A human had gotten into his hotel! A _human _of all things! Using his speed, he slammed the human into the revolving door and sneered.

"Who are you and how did you find this place?" he demanded harshly.

"Oh I'm Jonathan," the human replied with a blank smile. "And I was just mountain climbing with some dudes. I heard this story about a spooky forest. And who's not going to go into a spooky forest, right? Then I see these goofy lookin' dudes _on fire_. And I just kinda followed them to this, like, amazing castle!"

Fear shot through the vampire king. "How many of you are there?"

"Just me," Jonathan said with a grin. "I like to hit it alone. You meet so many interesting people in the youth hostels." He paused for a moment. "Speaking of awesome, that cape thing is killing it! Is there like a costume party here?"

Dracula grabbed the backpack, moving like a striking serpent, then moved as far back from the human as he could.

"What have I done?" he whispered. "Oh, this is all my fault. You have to leave!"

Dracula grabbed the human and shot out the door then froze. A crowd of monsters stood in front of them. "Oh no!" Complaints shot out from several monsters at once and Dracula swallowed hard. "Be right with you," he said quickly and shot back inside, crushing the human between himself and the backpack to hide him. He was stopped suddenly by the hydra. More complaints came from all the heads and Dracula swallowed again. "I'll get back to you Mr. Hydra!"

Dracula ducked and dodged through the crowd, fear and nervousness pounding through him. He continued to use the backpack to shield the human. He growled quietly when a complaint came from the creature and he was about to tell him off when Frankenstein's voice came to him.

"Hey Drac, how'd it go with Mavy?" Frankenstein grew confused as Dracula suddenly sped into a pile of suitcases. "Hey where'd you go?"

Dracula slid into a closet and shut the door, letting out a breath and listening at the door. The human, however, couldn't seem to stay quiet.

"Wow! This room's kinda small for a big castle. No bed, but check out these awesome dust pans they give you."

"Quiet you fool," Dracula growled then picked the boy up. "What kinda weapons are you keeping in this container? Your pitchforks?" He pulled out a shirt and got a whiff of it and nearly vomited. "Oh! I can't breathe! It's killing me!"

"Yeah. Definitely due for a fluff and fold!"

There was a sudden vibration noise and Dracula snatched a rectangular item out of the human's pocket. "What is this?" he asked. "A torture device? A secret mind controller? You won't read my thoughts. I won't let you!"

"Dude, its just music. Here try it," the human said and stuck something in his ears.

Said ears were assaulted with some kind of twisted music. He gasped. "No! It's taking my soul!"

"What?! It's a good jam! Don't be a grandpa!"

"You need to go. No human has ever entered this castle. And if someone should see you, the safety of the hotel, the sanctuary…No one would ever come again!" Dracula moaned.

"Oh yeah, go for it! 'Ever come again!' I love your Dracula voice. It's so over the top!" the human said light-heartedly.

"And Mavis! If she saw you, she would know that I lied. No!" he groaned, putting his head in his hands.

"Who's Mavis? Is this her room? I'm good with a roommate. I had six brothers growing up so I could totally share," the human said.

"I can't kill him," Dracula murmured as anger rushed over him as the human said that, mulling it over. "It would set monsters back hundreds of years." He came out of his thoughts to hear the human saying something about shampoo and a flower pot. "What are you babbling about?"

"What?" Jonathan asked then his attention was focused on the clothes hanging on the closet. "Whoa! Check out these awesome costumes!"

"Costumes!" Dracula gasped, joy filling his voice and snatched the backpack.

"Ah what's this?" the human asked, a desperate tone in his voice. "Sorry man, I can't be without my backpack! Everything I own is in there."

"It will be right here!" Dracula snapped.

"Okay, it's just…I love my backpack," he said, sounding unsure.

Dracula snatched a long-sleeved jacket and forced Jonathan into it, ignoring his exclamations of surprise and discomfort. He found something clear and slimy and spiked the boy's hair straight up; as he did so, he couldn't help but notice how soft it was despite its wild appearance. He shoved the thought out of his mind and took some blue slime from a pocket in the fireman's coat and colored the boy's face arms, hands, and legs with it. Taking a piece of charcoal, he drew some fake stitching on his neck. He looked over his handy work after he was done and took a deep breath before throwing the closet door open and moving the human quickly through the lobby.

"Check it out, I'm a Franken-homie!" Jonathan exclaimed excitedly.

Some monsters looked at them and Dracula swallowed hard. "Yes, hello."

"Look at me!" Jonathan called loudly.

"This is totally normal. Not a problem here. This is just a monster with me," Dracula said, assuring himself more than the others.

"Everybody stepped it up tonight!" Jonathan said then suddenly noticed where they were heading. "Wait why are we going to the front door? Are we leaving?"

Just as they were about to the door, Dracula already feeling confident they were going to make it, they were stopped by Quasimodo, who ended up nose to nose with the human.

"Bonjour Dracula!"

"Hey Sniffy. What's going on?" Jonathan said happily before Dracula shoved him behind him.

"Not right now Quasimodo!" Dracula snapped.

Esmeralda, Quasimodo's rat, suddenly jumped on Dracula and began sniffing. The vampire stiffened as the rat skittered up his body to his shoulder. It squeaked and Quasimodo snickered.

"What? No! Don't be absurd. It is not a human, but Monsieur Dracula!"

"How ridiculous! It's me!" Dracula said, laughing nervously and casually threw the rat into an open elevator to get rid of it.

"Here you are, monsieur. The deviled lizard fingers!"

"Deviled lizard fingers?!" Dracula demanded, the human suddenly forgotten. "I asked for spleens in blankets!"

Dracula watched with mild interest as Quasimodo went into one of his rants for a moment before he heard a terrified scream. He took off and searched desperately for the human, only to see him flying above him on a witch's broom. He slammed directly into Mavis, who was coming down the stairs with Wanda, and they flew off the stairway about ten stairs up and hit the ground. Before they could do more than look at each other, Dracula leaped in front of the human and blocked him from view.

"Mavis, honey, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I think so," Mavis replied, rubbing her head. "That was weird."

"Oh, my head hurts," Jonathan moaned and Dracula actually felt a pang of sympathy for the boy hidden from his daughter's sight.

"Um, who is that?" Mavis asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Who is what? Oh, oh that. That is nobody."

"Seriously Dad?" Mavis asked incredulously.

"Dad?!" Jonathan gasped.

Yeah I know, Dracula's daughter. Everyone freaks out at first," Mavis said with a shrug.

"Dracula?!"

"Okay, we gotta go," Dracula said and grabbed the boy firmly against his chest and ran as fast as he could up the stairs into an empty room. As soon as they were in there the human started freaking out.

"Please don't kill me! I'm so young! There's so many places I want to see!" he cried out. "I've got tickets to six Dave Mathis Band concerts!" He spotted the trap door in the floor and lunged for it. "I'm getting out of here!"

He dove through and there was an almighty roar and he shot back up through the door and up onto the bed hangings.

Dracula rolled his eyes. "Shut up, already. It's impossible for me to think with all your noise." He grabbed the open door and looked down. "Sorry Glen. Go back to sleep," he said shutting it.

"Wait, aren't you going to suck my blood?" Jonathan asked.

"Ugh, classic human paranoia. Human blood is so fatty and you never know where it's been."

"So, Dracula doesn't drink blood?"

"Well…I didn't say that. I've been drinking animal blood for years. Human blood is better, but as I said, you never know where it's been."

"So wow, you're like the real Count Dracula? Like, 'I'm Dracula, blah blah blah!'"

Dracula was annoyed. "I have never said that in my life. 'Blah blah blah'. I don't know where that comes from."

"Can I just ask, what exactly is this place?"

"What is this place?" Dracula asked quietly and walked over to the balcony, the doors blowing open at his command. "It's a place I built for all those monsters out there lurking in the shadows, hiding from the persecution of humankind. A place for them and their families to come to and be themselves. A place void of torches, pitchforks, angry mobs! A place of peace, relaxation, and tranquility."

"Cool, so it's like a hotel for monsters?"

"Yes, exactly. A hotel for monsters. Way to sum it up." Dracula rushed over to him and looked directly into his eyes for the first time. "Okay, hop on my back, we're…leaving."

As their eyes met and Dracula stared into those startling green orbs, he felt something rush through him that he hadn't felt in over a hundred and fifty years. In fact, if he wasn't mistaken, it was even stronger this time than it was the first time. Judging by the look in the human's eyes, he felt the exact same thing. It frightened Dracula more than anything. He lunged backwards and shook his head hard then stood there frozen.

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before a knight suddenly came in and reported that there was an emergency. Dracula was glad for the interruption and looked away from those alluring green eyes to the knight.

"What is it?"

"An accident in the lobby, sir. It's a mess," the knight said, saluting.

"I shall be there momentarily. As soon as the knight disappeared, Dracula turned and looked at Jonathan, avoiding his eyes.

"Look, just stay here, Jonathan," Dracula said; even his name was alluring to the vampire now.

As the Vampire king rushed out, shutting the door behind him, he felt a twisting in his gut. It was impossible. It should have been, anyways. It was only supposed to happen once in a lifetime. Granted he had a very long life, but that wasn't the point. Wayne and Frank and Murray had lived almost as long as he had and had only had one. However hard he wished it weren't true, it had happened to him. He couldn't believe it, no matter how hard he thought about it. He had zinged for the second time in his life, and it had been with a human.


	2. Irritation

Here's chapter 2. It's a little short, but you know. Enjoy.

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Dracula was shaken to the core. He couldn't believe that he had zinged again. He was terrified. He now knew he couldn't force the human to leave; his heart wouldn't let him. He _wanted_ that horrible creature! Oh, but that creature wasn't so horrible. His hair was soft and so _wild _looking that it was beautiful, his eyes were the color of dark green slime, his skin was so pale it was like he hadn't been in the sun for weeks…The more the vampire thought of the boy the more he was attracted to him.

"Damn it," he growled, his cheeks coloring with his passion. He couldn't let anybody see him like this.

"Hey dad."

The Vampire King jumped and spun around. "Mavy! Wh-what are you doing frightening me like that?"

Mavis chuckled softly. "Sorry, dad. Man, I must have gotten you good. Your face is all red."

Dracula felt his cheeks flush deeper and his daughter laughed. Well, at least she thought it was her doing and not that beautiful human…He shook away the images and patted his daughter's head.

"It's alright, Mavis. Just try not to do it again. I'm afraid I cannot take it!"

"Okay dad," Mavis said with a smile then it faded slightly. "Are you alright?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. There's just an emergency in the lobby. I need to go and tend to it."

"Oh, okay," Mavis said, rolling her eyes. Her dad and his emergencies.

As he walked away, though, she noticed how distracted he seemed and she looked back to where he had been coming from. What had he been doing? Why was he so nervous sounding? She hummed and flew out the nearest window, looking into the windows of the rooms as she passed. She froze at one and went in silently when she saw that weird monster from the lobby that had hit her. He had his eyes closed and was lying on the bed. She cleared her throat and he sat bolt upright, looking frightened.

"Oh…hey. You're Dracula's daughter," Jonathan said stupidly.

"Um, yeah. You are?"

"Human," the boy said before he could stop himself. He covered his mouth and his eyes widened as Mavis' jaw dropped.

"HUMAN?!" she asked with a gasp and was immediately in his face. "Wow, you're human! That's amazing! But you're so cool! You're nothing like the humans that were in that village. They were mean and scary. What's it like being human? Are you, like, normal?"

She was talking so fast it was a bit disorienting. He stared at the vampire girl and stayed silent, still feeling a little strange from whatever it was that had passed between him and Dracula. At the thought of the Vampire King, Jonathan felt his cheeks flush with delight and his eyelids drooped slightly. Mavis stopped talking and tilted her head.

"Are you alright?"

"What can you tell me about Dracula?"

"My dad? Well, he's a control freak, stern, doesn't bend on rules. He's incredibly physically strong, has a very dominating personality, and he's very naturally charismatic. Why do you want to know?"

"Mm, I don't know. There's just something about him…I want to spend more time with him."

"O-kay," Mavis said quietly. "You know, I think I'll just go. Maybe you're not in a fit state to talk with me."

"I can't really tell you what it's like being human because I've been human all my life," Jonathan said, dropping the thoughts about Dracula and his carefree attitude for a brief moment then it returned. "Anyways, I'm a bit tired. Maybe you can go and come back later? Oh…and I don't think I was supposed to tell anybody I'm human, so…could you not mention it to anybody?"

"Yeah. A lot of monsters wouldn't like to know there's a human here, so keep that on the down low. What's your name?"

"Jonathan. But people call me Jonny."

"I'd go with Jonny-stein, since you look like Uncle Frank. Say you're his right arm's second cousin or something. They'll believe that."

"Okay. Thanks…what's your name?"

"Mavis," she replied with a smile. "You know, Jonny. You are pretty cool. Despite being, you know, human."

With that, she jumped out the window and changed into a bat. Jonathan yawned and settled back against the bed. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, tired from the excitement that had happened in the lobby. When he woke, he felt as if somebody were watching him. He opened his eyes to see Dracula. He smiled at the vampire and felt a thrill of delight when he got a smile back.

"Hey," Jonathan murmured, and the smile widened for a brief moment before it disappeared completely.

"Wake up," Dracula said, sitting the boy up forcefully.

The touch sent a zing of delight through Jonathan and he smiled goofily again. Dracula quickly removed his hands and placed them behind his back, looking up at the ceiling.

"So…what are we going to do with you?"

"I don't know," Jonathan said with a shrug.

"I can't let people know you're human…Ugh, the only thing I can think of is party planner, but that could be a disaster."

"I…could leave," Jonathan said, a tinge of fear and sadness in his voice.

"No! I mean, they've all already seen you. They would be suspicious if you left suddenly. So," the vampire said with a sigh. "Party planner it is."

Jonathan was brought down and introduced as the party planner to Dracula's close friends and their wives. Mavis stood in the background and smiled, winking.

"So how are we related again?" Frank asked. "And what's your name?"

Dracula looked to be at a loss for words, so Jonathan broke in.

"My name's Jonny-stein. I'm your sixth cousin three times removed on your right arm's side," Jonathan said smoothly, grinning.

"Oh…Neat!" Frank exclaimed, shaking Jonathan from head to foot as he shook his hand. "Good ta meet ya cuz."

Jonathan smiled as he fought down the dizziness brought on by the movement. He rather liked these monsters. They were so…not monstrous. It was better than…

"Hey, you okay?" Griffon asked suddenly.

"Yeah," Jonathan answered immediately, forcing a smile. He hated thinking about that stuff. "Just considering what this party needs. What have you guys got in the way of music?"

While Jonathan fixed the music, Dracula felt his annoyance grow. How could that boy come in and ruin all his hard work? It just made the Vampire King burn with anger, even as his attraction became stronger for the boy because he took charge, albeit in a rather unique way. He was torn between his feelings and was secretly glad everybody was focusing on Jonathan.

An hour later, poolside, Dracula was more angry than attracted. The bingo match had gone fine, but the boy had looked board. The boy had run out of patience during the charades game and had brought out his scooter, sending the vampire's schedule down the drain, and now he was in the pool going crazy just like before. The Count was in the process of draining the pool when he noticed that his boy had just dived. He sighed in irritation, freezing the boy midair, then went to get the slime monster, Steve. He set him down and unfroze Jonathan, watching irritably as he slammed directly into the center of Steve. When he got a thumbs up from him, the vampire snapped.

He carried the boy to the cemetery then set him down, glaring at him.

"Oh you messed up, baby. You messed up big time. I told you to take it down! You'll ruin my hotel if they find out! Besides, after all the hard work, I've put into this party, you come along and ruin it!"

"Maybe you're just jealous that people are finally having fun at this place!" Jonathan exclaimed. "Oh that-that was not fun! Everyone running, jumping, swimming with no order! That was the opposite of fun!"

"What are you talking about?" Jonathan asked. "Mavis and _everybody_ are enjoying themselves! You're the only one who seems to have a problem! Why?"

"Nobody should be enjoying themselves! What you're doing isn't fun! It's….It's chaos!"

"Chaos _is_ fun! It's going with the flow! It's, well…great! Why can't you see that?" Jonathan demanded. He suddenly got a funny look on his face. "Baby?"

"What? Where?" Dracula asked, completely thrown for a loop.

"No…You called me baby."

"What?" the vampire exclaimed, blushing in the dim light. "No…No I didn't."

"Yes…Yes you did," Jonathan said with a soft chuckle, his own cheeks warming when he realized just how much he liked that.

"I…well…It was just a comment. I was annoyed at you, you see, and…" Dracula trailed off, suddenly realizing how close the boy was to him (he had been hovering above Jonathan, getting in his face because of his anger).

Jonathan and Dracula just stared at each other for a moment before leaning forward. Just before their lips met, the Vampire King jerked back and turned away, looking anywhere but at the boy.

"Jonathan, just…tone it down a little bit, alright?" Dracula said softly, conflicting emotions slamming through him.

Something in the Count's tone had Jonathan nodding. "Okay. And call me Jonny, 'kay? Or Jonny-stein when we're around the other monsters."

"If you insist," Dracula said with a small smile as he looked over his shoulder at the young man. "Now, come. The others will miss us."

Jonathan smiled and shrugged happily, following the vampire back to the castle and the awaiting monsters.


	3. Getting a Little Closer

Enjoy!

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"What?" Jonathan exclaimed as Dracula stared at him with raised eyebrows.

"Move the tables," the vampire repeated.

"Why? Is this because I went crazy earlier in the pool?"

"Partly. And partly because I need the tables moved. Now, do it. Please?"

Jonathan looked into the Count's pleading blue eyes and sighed. "Fine."

As he began pushing one table out, though, Dracula stopped him rather quickly.

"What are you doing?"

"Um, moving the tables like you asked."

"No no no! Like this, Jonny. Seventeen, please move to position seventy-two."

The human watched in fascination as the table rose from its place and flew through the air to settle into another place. Jonny grinned and, as the Count grew distracted orchestrating the tables, leaped onto a table, commanding it into the air. Dracula quickly shot him down, but Jonathan got right back up again and nearly slammed into the vampire with his table.

The ensuing table fight was delightfully complex and ended with both of them on a table, laughing gaily and playfully slapping each other. They both looked out at the same time and saw the knight. They screamed and clutched at each other then slammed full force into the poor armored thing. Dracula was up immediately, still laughing and his eyes sparkling with joy for the first time since his beloved had died. The boy really did bring out the best in him.

"Oh! Did you see that?" Dracula asked the knight's head. "Who is that guy? Sir breaks a lot?" He laughed again. "I have to say, _that_ was fun! Okay? The fun you were talking about earlier? Nailed it!"

Dracula lifted the sheet and froze. Jonathan wasn't under there. It was the torso of the knight they'd knocked over.

"Jonny?" He looked around and was horrified to spot a trail. "Quasimodo!" he gasped, fear filling him; if Quasimodo had Jonathan, that meant he _knew _he was human and would try to cook him.

Dracula took off at his inhuman pace, ducking around corners and nearly knocking into his daughter. He stopped just short of hitting her.

"Mavis! What are you doing up? The sun is up. It could kill you, honey guts," Dracula said, trying to hide his rising panic as he calmly walked by her.

"Have you seen Jonny-stein?"

"No I…why?" Dracula asked suddenly, fearing his daughter had found out the boy was human, or worse: had fallen for the boy. "Do you like him?"

"What? Yeah, dad, but as a friend. He's really cool to hang out with and he tells the best stories."

_'Thank badness,'_ the Count thought then spoke out loud. "Why don't you go try to find him? I thought he was in the banquet hall arranging tables."

"Okay, dad."

As soon as she was gone, the vampire grabbed the nearest full knight.

"Where is Quasimodo?!" he asked frantically.

"He's heading through the lobby toward the kitchen," was the reply.

"I need him stopped _immediately_! Is that clear?"

"Yes sir."

Dracula began to walk to the lobby calmly, confident in his guards. His confidence plummeted as one pulled him aside.

"Sir, he's made it to the kitchen!"

"No!" he yelped and took off again.

He made it to the kitchen and threw open the doors in time to see the hunchback trying to roast Jonathan alive. His mouth fell open and he wanted to vomit.

"Bonjour, monsieur Dracula!" Quasimodo greeted happily.

Dracula practically flew forward in his human form, shoved Quasimodo out of the way, and swished his cape hurriedly to put out the roaring fire beneath his sweet zing. He picked him up tenderly and held him against his chest briefly as he spat out a harsh sentence.

"Shut your hump hole!"

Dracula had time to snap the ropes away before he had to throw the human behind his back as he was suddenly face to face with the hunchback. He could feel the boy cowering behind him, his slight trembling so very obvious to the Count; the poor thing was terrified. He felt so sorry for the boy, and a deep protective urge swept through him.

Quasimodo faced him hanging from a chain, a skeptical look on his face. "Now you are helping him? What is it with you and this human?"

"He is not human! He's a 'Stein!" Dracula snapped, panic in his heart.

"That's right, little man. I'm a 'Stein!" Jonathan snapped, gathering enough courage to lean forward and get in the little man's face.

"If he is a monster, let him scare Esmeralda!"

"The mouse?" the vampire scoffed. "Without a doubt."

"Okay. Here we go," Jonathan said, slowly walking up to the mouse.

Dracula visibly winced at the boy's poor attempts at scaring the mouse. The mouse squeaked once and the human jumped a mile, screaming and stumbling back before tripping over a pot. The hunchback went crazy and began jumping up and swinging from the many ropes he had hanging around the kitchen; it reminded him of the bell tower so Dracula had allowed it.

"A human! A human! Monsieur Dracula has brought a human into the-"

Quasimodo was stopped dead in midair as Dracula angrily used his powers to freeze the raving lunatic and the hunchback fell to the floor. The vampire grabbed _his_ boy and dragged him out the door. They walked through the halls not speaking. Jonathan looked a little stunned. Dracula spared the boy a glance as he took a deep breath.

"Hey, thanks for saving me back there," Jonathan said, a little too quiet for his normally boisterous demeanor. "That guy's crazy! Trying to eat me! That's only happened one other time. This weird dude at a Slipknot concert."

Jonathan looked up at Dracula, smiling and waiting for the question of what happened. His smile faded at the sad and serious look on his pale face. Jonathan placed a hand on the cape, which constantly covered the Count's body, and gently rubbed the thin, yet muscled arm he encountered.

"There's something I need to show you," Dracula said, his voice laden with emotion; he figured he'd better show him now before things progressed however they were going to progress between them.

"Oh," Jonathan said, his own demeanor becoming serious.

He followed the vampire into a large, dark room. The boy coughed as soon as he entered; the air was thick with the smell of disrepair. When he looked up, Dracula had a candelabra in his hand and was walking solemnly towards the wall. Jonathan's eyes widened when he saw the coffin.

"Wow! Hey, are we at a funeral right now?" he shook his head and laughed softly at himself. "Oh wait, no. It's your bed. So creepy and cool." His eyes were drawn to the painting that the Count was looking at. "Wow, I know her! I've seen those pictures at the ruins of Loubeauve. That's my favorite castle. There's a whole legend around that lady!"

"A legend?" Dracula asked, confused and a little on edge.

Jonathan took the candelabra and raised it higher to better see the picture. His eyes glowed as he began to recount the legend.

"The lady Loubeauve! The story is a lonely count met her by chance and they say that no two souls were ever more meant for each other. Eventually they settled down in Castle Loubeauve and had a child but then a horrible tragedy happened. A fire started mysteriously one night and killed both of them. When I was at the castle, I could still feel their powerful love. They say it's as if a soul is still trapped in the ruins themselves."

Dracula held back the tears, breathing heavily for a moment. The story of his wife still stirred his deepest emotions. He would always love her, no matter what happened between himself and Jonathan. His zing with Jonathan might be more powerful than his and Martha's, but she would always keep a special place in his heart.

"The legend is wrong," the Count finally said, his voice heavy with his emotion. "It was only the wife that died."

He grabbed the dusty hanging that hung in front of half of the painting and yanked it down. Dust flew everywhere and Dracula was faced with something he hadn't wanted to see in years.

"Oh…" Jonathan said, shock and sadness on his face as he saw the vampire in the painting.

"And it was no mystery who killed her," Dracula growled, his anger at humans burning hot for a moment. "She was killed by _your_ kind!"

Dracula spun around and looked directly at the boy. He could tell his eyes were glowing by the suddenly fearful look that covered his face. Memories temporarily overwhelmed the vampire and his breathing grew ragged.

"They are the _real_ monsters!" He broke, crumpling to the floor as tears poured down his face.

Jonathan wrapped his arms around the Count's broken form, not really knowing what else to do. Dracula turned and hid his face in his zing's chest, ashamed of his tears; they meant he wasn't in control. He forced himself to calm down and pulled away, standing to his full height as he wiped away the tear tracks.

"I-I'm sorry. I just wanted you to know," Dracula said softly. "Before…"

The zing had gone unspoken for the duration of Jonathan's stay, and the Count was reluctant to reveal it. He didn't want to break whatever spell they seemed to be under. Instead he slowly embraced the boy, pulling him close to his chest and just reveling in the warm glow of companionship that he hadn't felt in years. His daughter just didn't count in this respect. Not even close. Jonathan was the first since Martha that he had felt such oneness with somebody, and it was so much deeper this time around.

Jonathan looked up into his eyes and smiled softly. "You know, you have amazing eyes. Such a pretty blue," he murmured.

That was all the encouragement Dracula needed. He lowered his face and kissed him. As soon as their lips met, his mind flew away from him. He stumbled back and sat on top of his coffin lid, pulling Jonathan onto his lap. The boy made a soft noise in the back of his throat and pulled back, looking a little shy.

"I…I don't know how…" he said, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Let me teach you," Dracula purred, tilting the boy's face back up and pressing against his lips again.

The vampire kept the kiss simple at first, lips on lips, but his desire for more eventually had him pressing his tongue against the boy's lips, begging them to part. The human swallowed then parted them, gasping as his mouth was suddenly plundered by the wet muscle. Dracula swept his tongue over the boy's teeth before trying to coax his tongue to play. Jonathan hesitated for a moment then gave in, his tongue rising to meet his partner's.

Their tongues slid wetly against each other and Dracula became aware the boy was whimpering. The vampire became more aggressive, forcing Jonathan's tongue into submission of his own. That sent Jonathan into a shudder and he moaned loudly at the sensations running through him. He tightened his grip and held Dracula closer; the vampire became aware of the boy's growing scent of arousal, which stirred his longings even more. He was about to slide his hands up his boy's shirt when a knock at the door interrupted them.

"Damn it all!" Dracula snapped as he pulled back.

He stood and walked to the door, placing the boy on the lid of the coffin. He quickly wiped his wet mouth and straightened his cape before opening the door.

"Yes?" he asked calmly, his cape hiding his need.

"The party starts in a few hours, sir."

"Oh right…the party. Yes, thank you."

Dracula looked back at the dazed looking boy, feeling sad their tryst had to be over. He needed to finish the final preparations for the party. He smiled at Jonathan and winked.

"Maybe later. I must go. See if you can sleep for a while, yes?"

"Okay," Jonathan said dreamily.

As Dracula left the room, he knew in his heart that Jonathan _was_ a zing. He would never have had a make-out session with anybody but a zing. It had just felt so…so right.


	4. Dracula's Mistake

To the someone who commented on the color of Jonathan's eyes, at the time I was writing it, I forgot he had brown eyes. I thought, red hair probably means green eyes. I just don't feel like changing it, so green they will stay. :) I hope you don't mind.

* * *

Dracula slipped the birthday present out of his pocket and set it lightly on his daughter's bed before sneaking out. His excitement about this party was mounting. Jonathan had made some big changes, but after the table incident the Vampire King realized that the boy really did know what fun was and he didn't mind the changes all that much.

He walked back to his room and opened the door slowly. He shut the door behind him then got a good look at his room and he gawked. The candelabrum around the room were lit, casting beautiful firelight around the room and lighting up the space, which was much brighter and cleaner than it had ever been. Jonathan was oblivious to the Count's presence, shaking one of the hangings over the balcony to clean it.

Dracula smiled and managed to find a shadow to hide in. He watched the boy, who had something in his ears that the Count could distinctly hear music from; he had exceedingly good hearing. The human started humming softly, moving his body to the beat every few minutes as he struggled to re-hang the hangings around the coffin.

The vampire chuckled and walked forward, quickly wrapping his cape around the boy, who gasped and dropped the fabric. The boy struggled in the iron grip and just when he was beginning to panic, Dracula allowed him out. Jonathan shot out and turned to look at him with wide, frightened eyes that calmed immediately when he saw who it was. He took out the buds in his ears and stuck them in his pocket after turning off the music.

"Dude, you scared me. I thought it was…Well, I'm glad it's you."

Dracula moved forward to embrace the boy, pulling him flush against his chest. "I told you to get some sleep."

"Eh, I got a little bit," Jonathan said with a tender smile as he hugged the vampire. "Then I got the urge to clean this place up a little bit. It was so dark and dirty."

"It looks amazing, Jonny," the Count said as he softly ruffled the boy's hair, marveling at the sheer softness of it. "It really does."

Jonathan beamed. "Can we…you know…kiss again?" he asked shyly. "I really liked that. I…really like you, too."

Dracula pulled the boy over to the balcony, sitting on the edge and inviting the boy onto his lap. Jonathan hurried over, crawling onto the elder's lap. He bit his bottom lip and blushed under the Count's intense stare, causing the vampire to smile and chuckle softly.

"Oh, Jonny. You truly are handsome. I never thought I would enjoy the company of somebody like you. In fact, I never thought I would enjoy the company of a male in the way I am now."

"Does that mean you like me back?" Jonathan asked, a soft smile on his face.

"Yes. You are very special to me, Jonathan. You…are my zing. My second zing, but my zing nonetheless. I want to know everything about you."

"Now?" the boy asked, sounding frightened.

"No, no, not now, my sweet bloodling. Now is the time for kissing."

With that, the Count dipped his head and captured his zing's lips, starting another round of tongue battling. The boy was soon reduced to a whimpering mess. He had never felt anything like this. Kissing the vampire made him feel so _alive_ and so very, very happy. He felt complete.

The vampire, meanwhile, was feeling rather alive himself. He hadn't felt the wonderful sensations of kissing since his beloved had died. It was so perfect. Nothing could make him happier at the moment, other than _more_.

He moved to slide his hands up under the boy's shirt, but Jonathan pulled back immediately, shaking his head and sliding off the Count's lap. This time it was Dracula who made a noise of disappointment and loss, but he quickly got himself back in control.

"You are not ready?" he asked softly.

"No," Jonathan said quietly, rubbing his arms.

"No loss of clothes then. Come, let us resume our activities," the Count said, his voice shaky with want.

"Promise?" the boy asked.

"Promise."

An hour of kissing later and the Count was forced to use his powers to make them look presentable and straightened their clothes so they could go to the party.

"You go on ahead," Dracula said with a sigh. "I need to take care of something."

"Okay," Jonathan said with a smile.

He took off and ran into Mavis in the hallway. She looked at him with a knowing smile and started walking beside him.

"So…you and my dad are in a relationship, eh?" she finally asked.

Jonathan jerked in surprise and spun to look at her. "How do you know that?"

She smiled. "Mom's 118th birthday present to me was a book that explained her zing with dad. The behavior she described is like what you and dad seem to be acting like together…Besides, I kinda was flying around earlier and saw you guys kissing."

Jonathan blushed deeply, so that it was clearly visible beneath the blue colored makeup. "I…Mavis, your dad and I…We just kissed. It was nothing more, I swear. Oh, don't hate me! I really would like to be your friend."

"Chill out, Jonny. I don't mind. I've been seeing a side of dad that I've never seen before now that you're here. You complete him. Besides, you two looked happy together. It was a little gross to watch at first. I could see your tongues...It was really gross, okay?" She laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck. "So what was it like?"

Jonathan smiled shyly. "It was a little weird feeling at first. I've never had another tongue in my mouth before and-"

"Ew! No! The zing, not the kissing!"

"Oh. It…it was like electricity and fire running through my veins when I first met his eyes! It was perfect and wonderful and I think I _love _him. He's so wonderful! He's so gentle and understanding and he's fun to be with. He makes me feel complete." Jonathan finished breathlessly, his eyes gleaming with delight.

"Wow," Mavis said, sounding wistful. "I wish I could experience that."

"Hey, you have an entire immortal life to find somebody. You'll have your zing. I just hope it's as wonderful as mine. Your dad and I, I feel like we belong together. Your zing will come, Mavis. Just be patient."

"Hey, I have almost no desire to leave now. You're all the human I think I can handle for a while. Until you get boring, I'll stay here happily."

"Thanks Mavis. You know, since I'm kinda dating your dad, that would make _me_ your dad too!" he smiled at her strange look. "Don't worry, you're more of a friend than a daughter to me. You're too much like your close to my age, even though your about ninety-seven years older than me."

"Vampires evidently age much slower than humans," Mavis said with a shrug.

"Yeah, you act like you're a teenager. I guess I still do, too, but I didn't have much of a childhood. You must have had a great one, considering who your dad is."

"It was fun. What was so bad with yours?"

Jonathan shifted. "I'd rather not talk about it. Besides, we need to get to your party. Your dad's gonna beat us there!"

"That's not good!" Mavis exclaimed and they started walking again.

The party was already jamming when they got there. Jonathan began dancing to the beat beside Mavis and everything was great. The music was awesome, the dance floor full, and everyone just having a good time. Dracula joined them within the hour, but five minutes after he came in, everything fell apart. Something had made the Count confess to his daughter that he had faked the village, and the entire room went silent as Mavis told her father exactly what she thought of him for lying to her. Things only got worse when Esmeralda brought in Quasimodo, who was still frozen.

His muttering brought forward the Fly. "I can speak frozen," the Fly said, hovering several feet off the floor. "He says Dracula has brought a human into the hotel."

There were gasps all around and the gremlins huddled closer together. Jonathan began edging back towards the door.

"He says 'There is zhe human,'" the Fly translated again after another round of nonsense. "He's got a French accent."

Just before Jonathan made it out the door, it slammed shut and Esmeralda sat hissing in front of it. Jonathan felt his palms start sweating and he spun around, looking first at Mavis, who was pretending to be surprised, to Dracula, who fighting down panic.

"Jonny's not a human," Frankenstein snapped. "He's my right arm's cousin. He's lying." Frank got nose to nose with the hunchback.

"Hey! Wait! No!" Jonathan gasped as the mouse leaped onto his head and began to lick up the slime that held his hair up straight. "Get off me!"

There was a unanimous gasp and Jonathan felt fear rush through him as he was stared at from every side. Quasimodo said something else and the Fly translated again.

"He says 'Behold zhe human.'"

As panic set in and the monsters began running around, Dracula just stared at him with horror in his face. The hunchback wasn't done yet, though.

The Fly suddenly looked very confused. "He says 'Dracula is in a romantic relationship with the human.' Oh how silly…Right?"

Everybody had frozen and Jonathan looked desperately at Mavis for a distraction. Her eyes showed she didn't know what to do about it anymore than he did.

"That's ridiculous," Eunice said with a laugh. "The King of the Vampires in love with a human?"

Griffin suddenly grabbed Jonathan; he had folded his glasses up so he was completely invisible. "Come on kid," he whispered. "Get out now while they're distracted."

Jonathan allowed himself to be pulled back but Dracula's next words had his heart stopped cold.

"I would never, ever love a human!"

"Dad," Mavis whispered, glancing at Jonathan, whose mouth was slightly open and who looked hurt.

"They're disgusting creatures," Dracula continued, looking nervous.

"Dad," Mavis said a little louder.

"I don't know how anyone could love such horrid beings."

"Dad!" Mavis shouted and there was an almighty crack as the door hit the wall.

As he stared at the empty space where Jonathan had been, Dracula realized just what he had said. He had just said he didn't love Jonathan. He had basically called him unlovable. The memory of kissing the sweet boy came forward and he felt his bottom lip tremble.

What had he just done?


	5. Going to Him

Final Chapter. There will, however, be a sequel. I did highly enjoy the reviews commanding Dracula to go to him. Those made me laugh in a very good way.

* * *

Jonathan grabbed his backpack out of the closet in the lobby and made a beeline for the door, tears streaming down his face and dragging the blue makeup away, but at this point it didn't matter. Mavis stopped him before he could get to the door, her vampire strength stopping him in his tracks. He floundered, trying desperately to get away before slumping to the floor.

"Jonny, he didn't mean it," Mavis said, kneeling in front of him and hugging him. "He was lying."

"No. I knew it was too good to be true! Nobody loves me! He was right, I am unlovable!"

"No!" Mavis exclaimed. "He does love you."

"Jonny?! Jonny where are you?!" he heard Dracula shout down the hall and he surged up and sprinted up the stairs, running into the room that the vampire had originally taken him to.

He tossed his backpack aside then fell on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. He felt as if his heart had shattered into a million pieces. He didn't care if he never saw Dracula again. The door opened then closed and he turned to punch the vampire in the face, but instead of Dracula's blue eyes he found himself staring at a pair of apparently levitating glasses, Frankenstein's wary yellow eyes, Murray's glowing green orbs, and Wayne's golden, narrowed, distrustful eyes.

"Go away," Jonathan sobbed, turning back to hide his face in the pillow.

"Boy, I didn't believe Mavis when she said you loved him," Wayne said with a snort.

"Be quiet, Wayne," Griffin snapped and Jonathan felt a gentle hand on his back. "Hey, you okay?"

"Am I okay?!" Jonathan demanded. "No I'm not okay! I thought he cared! I thought maybe, just maybe, he loved me! Oh, boy was I wrong!"

They were unsure what to do to comfort the distraught boy. He was so upset it was painful to watch. Three of them realized what one had known for a while: Dracula and the boy must have had one hell of a relationship. The door suddenly opened and Dracula shot inside. His eyes traveled across the faces until they landed on Jonathan.

"Jonathan! Jonny, please, I didn't mean it," Dracula said, pushing past the others to grab the boy.

"Don't you _dare_ touch me!" Jonathan shrieked, shoving the vampire back and diving for his backpack.

Dracula's fog suddenly shot in front of it and the vampire stood there and caught him. He tried to hold the boy close and reassure him, but it didn't work. Searing agony suddenly tore through the vampire's stomach and he jerked away to see his own blood staining a gleaming blade that had suddenly appeared in Jonathan's hand.

"I said," Jonathan growled coldly. "Don't. Touch. Me."

"You…stabbed me?" Dracula asked, his eyes surprised and his hand pressing against his stomach to staunch the blood flow. "Jonny, I…I'm sorry," he whispered softly. "I didn't…I mean…I was _scared_ alright? I've spent so many years investing in this hotel, making sure it was human free and safe for my daughter. I didn't want to lose it. But it doesn't matter if they never come again. I need you, Jonny. You're my zing."

"Does that even matter to you? I mean really matter? You told me that before we went to the party and look where that ended up," Jonathan said bitterly.

"Jonny, it matters the world to me. I thought that I had lost my only zing and it nearly destroyed me. It twisted me into the man I am today, and I'm not proud of who I am. I lied to my daughter, I lied to my closest friends, and I hurt the man I love."

Jonathan's eyes leaped up to Dracula's and his brow furrowed. "…Love?"

"Yes. The stuff I said back there, it doesn't matter. It was all a lie. I do love you. I need you. Please, please, please forgive me."

Jonathan stared at the vampire, keeping his blade up for a little while and silence reigned in the room. The boy slowly lowered the knife and moved forward, pressing his hand against the one on Dracula's stomach and felt warm blood oozing between the Count's fingers. He kept his eyes locked on Dracula's as he asked the question burning in his mind.

"If I asked you to, would you take the risk and introduce me to the hotel as your boyfriend?"

"Yes," Dracula said immediately. "My sweetest love, I would do anything for you. I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I would give you the world."

Jonathan lowered his head and pressed against Dracula's chest, crying softly. Dracula enfolded him in his arms and hushed him.

"It's alright, my little bloodling," the vampire murmured tenderly.

"Wow…"

Dracula's head shot up at the voice then blushed. "Frank…I…" he trailed off, too embarrassed that his friends had seen such a personal moment; he had honestly forgotten that they were there.

"Eh, like you haven't seen us in such private situations before," Wayne said with a wave of his paw.

"Yeah man. That was actually kinda cute," Murray said with a chuckle.

"It's not cute," Dracula said crossly then winced as he shifted wrong and the wound on his stomach complained. "Ow."

Jonathan pulled back suddenly and dove into his backpack. After a minute he came up with some strips of bandages. Dracula's friends, after assuring Dracula that they would only tell their wives about what they had seen, they left the two alone.

"How are we going to do this?" Jonathan asked.

Dracula unfastened his cape and folded it then set it on the bed. He took off his waistcoat and unbuttoned his shirt, setting them both neatly on the bed; both of them had Dracula's blood on them. Jonathan stared at what was revealed. Dracula was very lean yet obviously well muscled. The boy had the sudden desire to run his hands across the revealed skin, but his eyes were drawn to the angry mark that he had caused. He reached into his bag for a clean washrag and a water bottle to wash the wound before he began to dress it. He let his touch linger on Dracula's skin the first time around his thin body then quickly finished wrapping it up, sticking the material to itself.

Dracula noticed his zing's desire to touch him, and smiled. He had been feeling a little self conscious about undressing, but the way Jonathan's eyes smoldered when he saw what was beneath the clothes had his confidence soaring. He smiled when Jonathan realized he was caught and the boy blushed deeply.

"You like what you see, my blood orange?" Dracula asked in a low voice. When Jonathan looked away and began playing with his hands, the vampire laughed softly. "It's alright, love. I am sure I would be doing the same thing if our positions were reversed."

Jonathan's face took on a funny look, but he eventually smiled and gently hugged his zing. Dracula folded his strong arms around him and pulled back slightly to kiss the boy. Jonathan sighed into the vampire's mouth and they just sat there kissing for a few minutes. Jonathan suddenly pulled back and looked away.

"I'm sorry I stabbed you," Jonathan murmured.

"Oh, my love, it is alright. I hurt you, too, and probably in a worse way. My wound will heal quickly. Yours might take a little longer."

"Thanks, Drac."

Dracula smiled. "Everybody remembers my last name, but few remember my first. Martha is the only one who ever called me by my first name."

"What is your first name?" Jonathan asked.

"Vlad."

Jonathan looked thoughtful for a few minutes. "I think I'll keep calling you Drac or Dracula. I'll let Martha have her special name for you."

Dracula felt tears rise in his eyes. "Oh, Jonny. You have no idea how much that means."

He leaned down to kiss him again, this time probing his lips with his tongue. Just as their tongues met, there was a knock at the door. Dracula wanted to kill whoever was on the other side of that door.

"Could you answer it, bloodling? I need to dress."

Jonathan opened the door to see Mavis.

"Did you make up?" she asked immediately. "I don't want dad to be unhappy again. I like him happy. He's so much more relaxed around you and-"

"Mavy!" Dracula exclaimed.

Jonathan turned and gaped; the Count was already dressed! Dracula raised his eyebrows at him and smirked.

"Hey dad," she said in response. "How are you and Jonny?"

"We are fine, honey guts. We have made up."

"Oh that's great. What are you going to do now? About the guests?"

Dracula smiled softly. "We are going out there to introduce Jonny as my boyfriend."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"And I know I lied, and I'm sorry about that," Dracula said. "But I was afraid if you knew you would leave and never come back. Jonny is not a bad guy, though, and what Quasimodo said was true. He and I are dating. We are making it official right now. If you do not wish to meet him as a human, you may still leave. I will not stop you."

Jonathan watched silently, hoping against hope that not everybody would leave. To his surprise, nobody headed back to the front desk. They all wanted to meet him? After an appropriate length of time had passed, Dracula turned and gestured for Jonathan to come out of the shadows. He walked out hesitantly, a little bit frightened. He stood beside Dracula, looking out amongst the crowd of monsters that had so quickly become familiar to him and smiling shyly.

"So you're not going to hurt us?" one of the gremlins asked.

"Not unless you really want me to," Jonathan said goofily; Dracula couldn't help but notice how he seemed to have two different personalities: a goofy one and a somewhat darker one.

Laughter erupted and the atmosphere relaxed. Jonathan spent a few hours with the monsters then claimed he needed to go to bed. Dracula took him to a room right beside his, smiling.

"I had the staff prepare it for you. I'm also going to have a special coffin made for us so we can sleep in the same room," he Dracula said kindly. "If you ever need me in the day, just come into my room. If I'm not there, make yourself comfortable and I will eventually get there."

"Okay. Thanks," Jonathan said, stretching. "I'm going to turn in."

"If you don't mind, shower first and get rid of that blue slime. I'd much rather see your normal handsome face in the evening."

"Okay."

Jonathan went directly to the shower and turned it on; it had been a while since he'd had one and he was looking forward to the hot water. After making sure nobody was in the room, including Griffin, he slowly slid out of his clothes. Pale scars decorated his torso, and the mere sight of them made Jonathan hate himself. The combination of the neighborhood kids' cruelty and his parent's hate had deformed him in his mind and that's why the unlovable comment had stung so much.

Taking a deep breath to calm his loathing, Jonathan slid into the water stream and watched as the blue started rushing off his body, revealing his own pale skin. His scars were mainly located on the trunk of his body, and his limbs only held a few so he was safe from anyone knowing until he was undressed. He had no idea how he was ever going to work up the courage to actually have sex with his beloved zing, but he knew somehow he would have to.

He shook his head; he would deal with it when it got to that point.


End file.
